Frequently asked questions about intellectual disabilities

We are a team within child and adolescent mental health services. All referrals to our service are made through the single point of access of the child and adolescent mental health service (CAMHS).

A learning disability is when someone has reduced intellectual ability and struggles with everyday tasks, like managing money or socialising. This affects them throughout their life and starts before adulthood. People with learning disabilities may need extra support to learn new skills and understand information.

A learning difficulty focuses on a specific area of learning, like reading, writing, or maths, without affecting overall intelligence.

The main difference is that a learning disability involves general cognitive impairment and includes issues with intellectual ability, adaptive functioning, and early onset, while a learning difficulty does not affect overall intelligence.

Intellectual disability is now the term used instead of learning disability. This change in terminology will not affect the service provided to your child and your family.

All children seen by our team will undergo a full assessment of their mental health needs. If this assessment reveals a psychiatric disorder that could benefit from medication, we will discuss it with you. Medication will only be used when necessary, at the appropriate dose, and for as long as needed. In most cases, it will be just one part of a wider treatment plan.

We understand that medication can be helpful, but we follow the Stomp Stamp (opens in new window) initiative as a quality standard. This initiative focuses on reducing the use of medication and promoting alternative, effective approaches to support children.

We will take the time to build a trusting relationship with your child, ensuring they feel comfortable and safe. By listening to both you and your child, we can better understand your current situation. Our team is experienced in supporting young people, especially when they are struggling emotionally or displaying concerning behaviours.

We aim to contact you within four weeks of receiving the referral to discuss the next steps. If the referral does not meet our criteria, we will explain why and direct you to the appropriate service.

Once the referral is received, screened, and accepted, we will contact you to arrange an initial mental health assessment within four weeks.

The assessment and treatment process will depend on the specific needs and treatment required, and we will discuss this in more detail after the assessment is completed.

Each child with autism and intellectual disability is unique and may face different challenges. Our assessment will help identify if there are any other factors contributing to their challenging behaviours.

Our team works closely with special schools to support children and young people before psychiatric help is needed. We regularly visit schools and hold consultations, where teachers can bring concerns about students’ emotional or behavioural difficulties, such as increased anxiety or problematic behaviour.

Teachers must ask for your permission to speak with us, as your consent allows us to note in your child’s file that we have provided advice. Sometimes, our advice is enough, but in other cases, we may need to contact you and offer further support, including a referral for help at school, home, and with the child.

We also run group sessions in schools to help children with issues like anxiety and anger. These sessions, often supported by a teacher or teaching assistant, are part of the whole school approach to promoting positive wellbeing.

We offer training for parents, school staff, and other professionals, including courses like the Solihull Approach, 1-2-3 Magic, and Understanding autism or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. We can also tailor training for groups, drawing on our expertise in mental health and learning disabilities.